Nordreich Liga Season III
]] Nordreich Liga Season III ran from April 1, 2010 to August 26, 2010. Spread out over six months, it has been the longest season (to date) in the Liga's history. Heading into Season III, The Scimitars and Valkyries (both last place in their respective divisions in Season II) folded while Nacional FC from Costa Libertad (managed by Liga Mundo commissioner PremierApex) joined as an expansion club. With the subsequent loss in numbers from 12 to 11 teams, all Liga 2 teams were moved up into the Liga 1 Division. During the season, Neon City came under new management after Nemhauser was sacked by the club; Hermann von Salza then took over the club as new manager on April 19, 2010. PremierApex resigned as manager of Nacional CF on May 5, 2010 when he stepped down as Liga Mundo Commissioner. Adam Suttler took over as new manager of Nacional CF on June 14, 2010. Final Standings Regular Season Nordreich Liga 1 Statistics Leaders Liga 1 All-Star Team Retirements The following players retired at the conclusion of the season on August 28, 2010: *'Puiu Pãduret' (FC Craiova Sud) midfielder; retired at age 38 *'Hillo Maalepp' (Dorpat Lions) goalkeeper; retired at age 37; Maalepp played a 20 year career in football, 4 seasons with Revala FC, 1 season with East London in the Transvaal Voetbalsvereniging. After 1 unsuccesful season playing abroad in Transvaal, he returned home to the Dorpat domestic league and played 2 seasons with Revala FC and 7 seasons with Dorpat KÕU before joining the Nordreich Liga and playing 3 seasons with Northern Reich and Dorpat Lions. *'Vitor Criador' (Vlaamsche Boerkens) fullback; retired at age 35 *'Francisco Malhoa' (Scottoria FC) fullback; retired at age 38 *'Fidelio Orlandini' (North Pacific United) midfielder; retired at age 36 *'Guiseppe Sbaccanti' (C.S. Napoli) midfielder; retired at age 36 *'Arduino La Vista' (C.S. Napoli) forward; retired at age 33 *'Ludwig Gäbler' (FC Oder-Festung 1920) fullback; retired at age 30 Notable Transfers *'Einar Smarason' - transfered from Zemo City Avengers (11 GP; 3G; 1A) to NVK Kaapstad Hornets on May 1, 2010. League MVP Midfielder Lazar Vaskovic of Dorpat Lions repeated for the second year in a row as Liga MVP for Season III after gaining 15 X11 Team selections during the regular season (14) and cups (1). Honourable mentions go to midfielder Kristján Sigurdson and forward José Sena of Zemo City Avengers for their 2nd and 3rd place finish in the MVP rankings. Manager of the Season *'BaronZemo (Zemo City Avengers) 5 ''MOTW selections''' *Norwood86 (Scottoria FC) 4 MOTW selections *Ratonbox (FC Craiova Sud) 4 MOTW selections *Folkvar (North Pacific United) 3 MOTW selections *St6mm (Dorpat Lions) 2 MOTW selections *Crazy_Genug (C.S. Napoli) 1 MOTW selection *Foumpie (Vlaamsche Boerkens) 1 MOTW selection *Hermann46/Hermann von Salza (Neon City) 1 MOTW selection *Niflungland (FC Oder-Festung 1920) 1 MOTW selection Nordreich Cup First Round Matches played on March 28 and April 4, 2010 *Zemo City Avengers defeated Nacional CF (2-0, 4-1) *North Pacific United defeated Vlaamsche Boerkens (2-3, 2-1) *FC Craiova Sud defeated C.S. Napoli (3-0, 3-5) Quarter-Finals Matches played on April 11 and April 18, 2010 *Dorpat Lions defeated FC Craiova Sud (0-3, 4-0) *Zemo City Avengers defeated FC Oder-Festung 1920 (2-0, 2-1) *Scottoria FC defeated Neon City (4-0, 0-0) *NVK Kaapstad Hornets defeated North Pacific United (0-1, 5-1) APRIL 6, 2010 - Nordreich Cup Quarter-Finals Preview Dorpat Lions vs FC Craiova Sud: Despite Dorpat being the defending champion, this series could end up being closer than expected if Craiova Sud is able to get full effort from its midfield and forwards to counter its backfield deficiencies. However smart money is on Dorpat to advance with a pair of wins in its pocket. Zemo City Avengers vs FC Oder-Festung 1920: O-F 1920 were the darlings of the ball last season with their impressive cup run – pushing aside string opposition from Zemo City and Kaapstad – to face down Dorpat in the finals before succumbing by four goals. However this time around, don’t expect any heroics from O-F 1920. Guaranteed that Zemo City Avengers will be on the hunt for revenge after their humiliating exit in the quarter-finals, the Avengers are flying high right now with the best display of team form in the Liga while O-F 1920 are at the opposite end of the spectrum with easily the most atrocious form after the off-season progress report. FC Oder-Festung 1920 midfield looks particularly tired right now and which could well be the FC O-F 1920 downfall. Scottoria FC vs Neon City: An easy set of practise matches for Scottoria. Manager Norwood’s squad goes through the necessary motion as Neon City folds their tents early. Not even close. North Pacific United vs NVK Kaapstad Hornets: NPU has made vast improvements during the off-season after two campaigns of neglect but will it be enough in time to penetrate the Hornets’ famous defensive wall? North Pacific needs to exploit the Capetonians’ lacklustre and uncreative midfield line if they are going to put any sort of pressure on the net. Hornets should advance but all-too-close results will keep Manager Botha awake at night with cause for concern. Semi-Finals Matches played on April 25 and May 2, 2010 *Dorpat Lions defeated Zemo City Avengers (1-2, 4-1) *Scottoria FC defeated NVK Kaapstad Hornets (2-4, 5-1) APRIL 19, 2010 - Nordreich Cup Semi-Finals Preview Zemo City Avengers vs Dorpat Lions: a classic series lined up here as both clubs have won the Nordreich Cup and know full well what needs to be done on the pitch. Zemo City has a slight advantage in head-to-head game results, with a 3-2-2 record against Dorpat. Home field seems to play a factor in meetings against these two clubs, with neither side able to gain wins away from home. Dorpat Lions seem to be riding strong form lately but the two sides are fairly balanced on paper. Overall for talent, Dorpat has the slightest of advantages – with their strengths leading in midfield and the attack, while Zemo City has a much more noticeable strength in net and defense. This series could go either way and the derby atmosphere between the two managers makes it too close to call. The team that can bag the most goals on the road should have the edge to advance. Nod right now goes to Zemo City mostly because they will be seeking retribution against Dorpat and will be more fired up to win. Scottoria FC vs NVK Kaapstad Hornets: Despite Manager Botha’s cautiousness, everything on paper says the Hornets should be able to beat Scottoria in this series. The Hornets have a 2-1-1 record in previous meetings and most notably a draw on the road. The teams are fairly even strength although Kaapstad has a distinct advantage with form right now and their defense is rock solid. Goaltending however is a little suspect as newcomer Wollo Schampa has yet to find his stride. Scottoria will need to take exploit the Hornets’ inexperience and collective weakness on midfield. This series will come down to who plays stronger and scores more at home. Nod goes to Scottoria as NVK Kaapstad Hornets puts up a good fight but is undone by its own inconsistency and inexperience with the midfield and goalkeeping duties. Nordreich Cup Finals Matches played on May 9 and May 16, 2010 *Dorpat Lions defeated Scottoria FC (2-0, 3-0) MAY 4, 2010 - Nordreich Cup Championship Finals Preview Scottoria FC vs Dorpat Lions: The regular-season league champions from Nordreich Liga Season I face the defending champions from Nordreich Liga Season II in the third Nordreich Cup – but on paper all the numbers are currently pointing towards another Dorpat cup title. In six previous meetings, Dorpat Lions have managed 4 wins and 2 draws – with 2 of those wins and both draws won in the hostile confines of Queensland Park. Both teams have been fairly even for scoring attempts but the Lions score 2.5 goals for every Scottoria FC tally in their derby, which points to one notable factor: MVP keeper Hillo Maalepp Goalkeeping on these two teams more than any other position will decide the outcome of this round. Dorpat Lions are famously reliant on Maalepp to provide a wall, their back-ups Meister and Jules are unproven in such high-level matches. Scottoria FC only carries one keeper and if they lose Salvador Quintana to injury, their cups hopes immediately evaporate with him. On defense, Scottoria FC is weakened with the loss of veterans Greg Henry to injury and Gabriel Ducket to suspension but poor Dorpat defensive form should nullify those loses in the first game. Up front on the midfield and attack, Dorpat is notably top of the pack while Scottoria FC is located in the mid-range. Neither team is looking well-trained with their forwards, so few goals should be expected in Game 1 unless one or both decides to use their midfield in a counter-attacking, pressure role. One glaring advantage Scottoria FC holds right now is cashflow; it is quite possible they may simply buy their way to victory with promises of hefty bonuses paid out to the team. In other Liga news, Commissioner Botha announced today that the 2nd Baron Zemo Open Cup would most likely commence in the first week of June. Baron Zemo Open Cup First Round Matches played on June 6, 2010 *Zemo City Avengers defeated Vlaamsche Boerkens (4-2) *Dorpat Lions defeated Neon City (4-0) *North Pacific United defeated C.S. Napoli (5-1) Quarter-Finals Matches played on June 13, 2010 *NVK Kaapstad Hornets defeated North Pacific United (3-2) *Zemo City Avengers defeated FC Oder-Festung 1920 (2-1) *Scottoria FC defeated Nacional CF (3-0) *FC Craiova Sud defeated Dorpat Lions (2-1) Semi-Finals Matches played on June 20, 2010 *Scottoria FC defeated FC Craiova Sud (3-3 6-5 PK) *Zemo City Avengers defeated NVK Kaapstad Hornets (2-0) Finals Match played on June 27, 2010 *Zemo City Avengers defeated Scottoria FC (3-0) Kaiser Nemhauser Open Cup First Round Matches played on July 4 and July 11, 2010 *FC Craiova Sud defeated Nacional CF (2-0, 6-0) *Zemo City Avengers defeated North Pacific United (2-1, 1-1) *Vlaamsche Boerkens defeated FC Oder-Festung 1920 (2-0, 1-0) Quarter-Finals Matches played July 18 and July 25, 2010 *C.S. Napoli defeated Neon City (1-1, 4-1) *Vlaamsche Boerkens defeated NVK Kaapstad Hornets (3-0, 0-2) *Dorpat Lions defeated Zemo City Avengers (2-0, 5-0) *FC Craiova Sud defeated Scottoria FC (2-1, 0-0) Semi-Finals Matches played August 1 and August 8, 2010 *Vlaamsche Boerkens defeated C.S. Napoli (5-0, 2-0) *Dorpat Lions defeated FC Craiova Sud (1-1, 3-0) Finals Matches played August 15 and August 22, 2010 *Dorpat Lions defeated Vlaamsche Boerkens (5-0, 1-0) AUGUST 10, 2010 - Kaiser Nemhauser Cup Finals Preview Vlaamsche Boerkens vs Dorpat Lions ROAD TO THE CUP Vlaamsche Boerkens have had the far easier road even though they started out as one of the six teams having to go through the First Round. Their first test was against FC Oder-Festung 1920 winning both matches by a 3-0 aggregate score and advancing to the Quarter-Finals where they met NVK Kaapstad Hornets. The Hornets have been struggling all season with sub-par form and an unsettled midfield line and dropped the first game 3-0 at Bosuil-Antwerpen. In the second leg played in Cape Town, the Hornets did manage to muster up stiffer opposition with a 2-0 win but Boerkens won the series 3-2 aggregate and moved on to face C.S. Napoli in the Semi-Final. As expected, Vlaamsche Boerkens made it past Napoli but they did so in a decisive manner with a commanding 5-0 win on the road to open the series. In the re-match in Antwerp, Boerkens capped off with a 2-0 win to make the Kaiser Cup finals. Dorpat Lions played one less round than Boerkens but made up for that by having to face the strongest possible opposition that they could have ever hoped for. They opened their Kaiser Cup run having to go up against derby rivals Zemo City Avengers. Many expected a tough, gruelingly close series – but certainly not the 7-0 aggregate dismantling the Lions handed the Avengers. They then had to face league leaders FC Craoiva Sud. The Romanians had taken their difficult quarter-final round against Scottoria FC by only 1 goal and looked to have the edge against Dorpat. The first leg, played at Ion Oblemenco, ended in a 1-1 draw. Back home for the re-match, Dorpat were able to snuff out the Romanian attack – keeping them shotless and scoreless while the Lions cruised to a 3-0 win to move on to the finals. HEAD TO HEAD In the clubs’ two previous meetings, Dorpat has swept their regular season series with two wins – most noticibly taking their away match by a 4-0 result. On paper, Dorpat Lions have the edge in overall talent – with Dorpat stronger in their backfield while Vlaamsche Boerkens main advantage is in their attack. An unknown factor will be the midfield which is probably where the game will be decided. Both teams are fairly even in those positions, Dorpat with the nod towards talent but Boerkens do have a noticeable strength in form right now throughout that position and if they opt to play a pressure game, they could make Dorpat’s opportunities on goal few and far between. Dorpat may counter the Boerkens midfield by going with one of their famed defensive line-ups which served them so well in Season I combined with long ball passing up to the attack, thus trying to bypass the Boerkens stronger midfield. OTHER FACTORS With the recent announcement of Hillo Maalepp – easily the best goalkeeper seen in the short history of the Liga – retiring at the end of the season, it is now or never for Dorpat Lions as they will need to deal an overhaul in goal next season after losing their backbone in Maalepp. Most pundits would expect Dorpat to pay out hefty win bonuses while Boerkens cash flow is one of the lowest in the Liga at the moment. Two of the best but strictest referees in the Nordreich Liga will be handling the finals, so expect both teams to take a more reserved approach on the field as ill-timed bookings could be devastating. Speaking of cards, both teams do have a few players sitting at two yellows but Dorpat would seem to be the team more prone to suffering set-backs from accrued suspensions should league matches on August 19 become ugly for both teams. PREDICTION Considering the road that Dorpat has had to travel to get here, smart money is on them to take both matches and the silverware. Boerkens may steal the match at home but it is inconceivable to see them walking away with the win in Tartu. Team Pages *'NVK Kaapstad Hornets' *'FC Oder-Festung 1920' Category:Sports Category:Soccer Category:Nordreich Liga Category:Nordreich